'Los Blancos' ended their three-game losing streak in style
Real bounces back against Virtus, 98-86
Real Madrid remained undefeated at WiZink Center by downing Virtus Segafredo Bologna 98-86 in the Spanish capital in Round 9 on Tuesday.
Real improved to 4-5 in the standings, snapping a three-game losing streak, while Virtus dropped to 2-7. Mario Hezonja led the winners with 20 points. Xavier Rathan-Mayes added 17, Facu Campazzo and Walter Tavares each had 14 while Serge Ibaka had 11 for Real. Toko Shengelia led Virtus with 20 points. Isaia Cordinier added 18, Will Clyburn had 15 while Momo Diouf and Marco Belinelli each got 10 for the visitors.
Game Videos
Tavares got Real going with a layup and soon added an alley-oop dunk for a 5-0 lead. Cordinier banked in a three-pointer and soon added a reverse layup in a 0-6 run that gave Virtus its first lead, 5-6. Hezonja scored in the low post and erased Shengelia's layup with a dunk. Ante Zizic hit a jump hook, which Clyburn followed with a corner triple for a 9-13 score. Hezonja answered from downtown. After Clyburn hit a jumper, Campazzo's layup drew Real within 14-15. Shengelia improved on Eli Ndiaye's tip-in with a three-point play. Clyburn and Hezonja traded triples and Tavares gave Real a 23-21 lead. Rathan-Mayes buried a fadeaway jumper, then Shengelia and Hezonja each struck from beyond the arc for a 28-24 score. Diouf got Virtus closer, 28-25, after 10 minutes.
Matt Morgan followed Diouf's put-back layup with a three-pointer for a 28-30 Virtus lead early in the second quarter. Shengelia shocked the crowd with a high-flying tip-in and Clyburn added a fastbreak layup, prompting Real to call a timeout at 28-34 after a 0-10 run. Rathan-Mayes rescued the hosts with a triple and Ibaka added a jump hook for a 33-34 Real deficit. Diouf dunked and Shengelia banked in a jump hook, but Ibaka followed a two-handed slam with a triple that tied it at 38-38. Rathan-Mayes insisted from downtown, but Zizic buried a jump hook and Marco Belinelli's three-pointer gave Virtus a 41-44 edge. Sergio Llull joined the three-point shootout, Gabriel Deck added a three-point play and Tavares's dunk gave Real fresh air at 50-44. Llull sank another triple, but Cordinier gor the visitors within 53-49 at halftime.
Shengelia followed a triple with a step-back fadeaway jumper soon after the break. Alberto Abalde answered from downtown and Campazzo added a floater for a 58-54 score. Shengelia insisted from beyond the arc. Tavares scored down low and Abalde's second triple boosted his team's lead to 63-57. Campazzo found Hezonja for a layup that caused Virtus to call timeout at 65-57. Cordinier sank a three-pointer, Abalde answered with a layup and Campazzo's triple made it a double-digit game, 72-60. Clyburn hit a three-pointer over Tavares and added a jump hook. Campazzo found Hezonja for a triple and hit a circus shot. Rayjon Tucker banked in a running floater that Campazzo somehow matched at the other end for an 80-67 Real lead after 30 minutes.
Rathan-Mayes buried a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Belinelli hit a leaning shot that a red-hot Rathan-Hayes bettered with another triple. Belinelli kept pacing Virtus with an unbelievable three-pointer. Ibaka scored around the basket and Hezonja soon made it 90-74, with les than 6 minutes left. Zizic scored off a high-post pick-and-roll play, Deck bettered that with a layup-plus-foul and by the time Rathan-Mayes downed his fifth three-pointer everything was said and done, as Real had cruised to yet another convincing home victory.